Read This Before Considering Servcorp Limited (ASX:SRV) For Its Upcoming AU$0.11 Dividend

It looks like Servcorp Limited (ASX:SRV) is about to go ex-dividend in the next 4 days. This means that investors who purchase shares on or after the 9th of March will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 2nd of April.

Servcorp's next dividend payment will be AU$0.11 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of AU$0.21 to shareholders. Looking at the last 12 months of distributions, Servcorp has a trailing yield of approximately 5.0% on its current stock price of A$4.24. Dividends are an important source of income to many shareholders, but the health of the business is crucial to maintaining those dividends. As a result, readers should always check whether Servcorp has been able to grow its dividends, or if the dividend might be cut.

Check out our latest analysis for Servcorp

Dividends are typically paid out of company income, so if a company pays out more than it earned, its dividend is usually at a higher risk of being cut. Servcorp is paying out an acceptable 62% of its profit, a common payout level among most companies. That said, even highly profitable companies sometimes might not generate enough cash to pay the dividend, which is why we should always check if the dividend is covered by cash flow. It paid out 17% of its free cash flow as dividends last year, which is conservatively low.

It's positive to see that Servcorp's dividend is covered by both profits and cash flow, since this is generally a sign that the dividend is sustainable, and a lower payout ratio usually suggests a greater margin of safety before the dividend gets cut.

Click here to see how much of its profit Servcorp paid out over the last 12 months.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks in companies that generate sustainable earnings growth often make the best dividend prospects, as it is easier to lift the dividend when earnings are rising. If earnings decline and the company is forced to cut its dividend, investors could watch the value of their investment go up in smoke. With that in mind, we're encouraged by the steady growth at Servcorp, with earnings per share up 5.0% on average over the last five years. Earnings growth has been slim and the company is paying out more than half of its earnings. While there is some room to both increase the payout ratio and reinvest in the business, generally the higher a payout ratio goes, the lower a company's prospects for future growth.

The main way most investors will assess a company's dividend prospects is by checking the historical rate of dividend growth. Servcorp has seen its dividend decline 1.7% per annum on average over the past ten years, which is not great to see.

Final Takeaway

Is Servcorp an attractive dividend stock, or better left on the shelf? While earnings per share growth has been modest, Servcorp's dividend payouts are around an average level; without a sharp change in earnings we feel that the dividend is likely somewhat sustainable. Pleasingly the company paid out a conservatively low percentage of its free cash flow. While it does have some good things going for it, we're a bit ambivalent and it would take more to convince us of Servcorp's dividend merits.

In light of that, while Servcorp has an appealing dividend, it's worth knowing the risks involved with this stock. To help with this, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Servcorp that you should be aware of before investing in their shares.

If you're in the market for dividend stocks, we recommend checking our list of top dividend stocks with a greater than 2% yield and an upcoming dividend.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.